(TRENTON) – New Jersey Agriculture Secretary
Charles M. Kuperus today urged farmers to take advantage
of $4.5 million in federal cost-share funding available
for installation of soil and water conservation practices.

Applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
will be taken by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) through October 29.

The cost-share program, in which the farmer would bear part of the cost,
has been expanded in New Jersey to include the new conservation practices
of Advanced Nutrient Management, Advanced Pest Management, Grass-Based
Livestock Systems, and Agricultural Runoff Management to voluntarily
meet NJ stormwater management regulations. In addition, some expanded
components for existing irrigated acres will be cost shared.

“This money is available now for agricultural producers who want to take
advantage of these or other conservation systems on their operations,” said
Secretary Kuperus. “Either a new applicant or a farmer who has existing
contracts may be eligible, so we urge them to not hesitate in submitting an application
by the October 29 deadline.”

EQIP is a voluntary conservation program administered by USDA-NRCS. Through
EQIP, farmers whose applications are approved may receive financial and
technical help with structural and management conservation practices
on agricultural land. Sign-up for this program is continuous, but funding
rounds are set throughout the year to select projects for funding. Additional
program information is available at http://www.nj.nrcs.usda.gov,
the NJ NRCS website.

To sign up for EQIP, contact any USDA Service Center. USDA Service Centers
and office locations are listed in the telephone book under the US Department
of Agriculture and can also be found on the NRCS-NJ website.